Page 23 of The Prince Without Sorrow

Chapter Twenty-Two

Ashoka

A ARYA HAD SEVERAL SMILES.

He’d learned to interpret them early on, knowing which ones to dismiss and which ones to make note of. When his sister’s smile turned wolfish as it did now, Ashoka’s guard was up.

‘What news?’ he asked as Shakti stilled.

‘Several noteworthy articles,’ she replied. ‘The first being that Shakti here is relieved of her duties.’

Shakti let out a soft gasp, looking like a dog that had finally been chased into a corner. Ashoka refused to give her a reaction. His heartbeat pounded in his ears.

Does she know?

‘No,’ he refuted immediately. ‘You have no authority to let her go.’

‘Let her go?’ Aarya’s surprise was genuine. ‘Little brother, how crassly you think of me. I am advancing her. Shakti is to join my personal guard.’

Rahil let out a sound of discontent. Meanwhile, Ashoka struggled to silence his newly surfaced anxiety. This could not be happening at a worse possible moment.

Just when I got my hopes up.

‘Shakti is part of my staff,’ he retorted. ‘You can’t simply move people around as you wish.’

Seemingly unbothered by his vexation, Aarya inspected her nails. ‘Unfortunately, you cannot dismiss the directive of the emperor,’ she told him.

There was an unpleasant lurch in his stomach. Ashoka clenched his jaw. The emperor. Hah.

‘Was this really Arush’s own order?’ he asked in disbelief.

‘He is capable of seeing logic, you know, and his order has simply turned out in my favour.’ An answer that was not an answer. Ashoka did not believe this was simply a lucky turn of events for Aarya. He had an inkling that she orchestrated this somehow but infuriatingly enough, wouldn’t admit it. Turning to an unmoving Shakti, his sister shot her a triumphant smile. ‘I know an asset when I see one.’

‘Shakti isn’t an object, princess.’ Rahil finally spoke. He sounded irked.

‘I did not suggest it,’ Aarya replied. She looked rather affronted by the accusation. ‘She is an asset in the same way you are. Besides, working under Ashoka tends to keep one complacent, no? You could have guarded our father just as Indran did, but you chose not to.’

It was getting too hard for Ashoka to control his riotous thoughts. Spirits. Under Aarya’s command, Shakti would be in constant danger. His sister was no fool; if the mayakari made even one slip, she would notice.

All this work just to prove a point. Aarya was too petty for her own good.

But what was Ashoka to do now? His brother had issued an order. To fight it would be to infuriate Arush and risk him backing out of their deal.

Regrettably, Aarya was not finished with her blows.

‘Arush has additional instructions he wished me to relay to you, little brother. It’s about Taksila.’

All four of them straightened up at the mention of Taksila. Aarya chuckled.

‘You’re still leaving, don’t you worry,’ she smirked, ‘but unfortunately for you, you’ll be losing a treasured member of your party.’

‘What?’ Ashoka ground out. His first thought was Rahil, and he almost cried out in anger. But as his gaze followed Aarya’s, he realized that she was pointedly staring at Sau.

Oh no.

‘ Sau? ’ Ashoka exclaimed. ‘No, she comes with me. I won’t have it.’

Sau was important. Aside from himself, she was the only other person who was well-versed in Taksila’s issues within his small travelling party. It was between themselves that they’d strategized on everything from preventing the Great Spirits from razing the northern communities to returning Taksila to one governorship that reported to Arush in the manner of decentralized governance. He couldn’t do this alone. He needed her to make sure his plans wouldn’t regress into bloodshed.

Aarya couldn’t take her away.

His sister didn’t seem to care. ‘You can argue with Arush all you want, but he has given an order,’ she said. ‘Saudamini will not leave with you.’

First Shakti. Now, Sau. What karma had Ashoka committed in a past life to deserve this?

‘Where will I go then, Princess Aarya?’ Sau asked.

‘Makon.’ Aarya clapped her hands together delightedly, ignoring Sau’s shocked face. His sister seemed far too cheerful delivering this unfortunate news. The Ridi Kingdom’s capital. ‘I hear you’re almost fluent in their language – it would help you immensely while you’re there.’

‘What for?’ Ashoka shot his sister a distrustful look that she ignored.

‘This is your chance to prove your worth, Saudamini,’ Aarya said nonchalantly. ‘To prove whether you deserve a place in the royal council. Ashoka is not yet allowed into these meetings, and since mother has moved you from her advisory, you’ve effectively become redundant.’

Ashoka caught a glimpse of Sau’s face. It was pale.

‘But I’m meant to assist Prince Ashoka in Taksila, princess,’ Sau’s voice was reedy, high-pitched.

‘That isn’t my problem,’ Aarya smiled sweetly. ‘Arush has given you an order. He is your emperor, not Ashoka, so I suggest you follow him.’

‘Princess—’

Aarya tsk-ed. ‘He simply wants to offer you an opportunity,’ she said. ‘One that doesn’t come your way often. You’re the most capable in speaking the Ridi language out of anyone in the political court, and you are well-versed in the country’s politics. All you must do is travel to the Ridi Kingdom and convince the current prince to uphold the agreement our father made with his mother – to keep the Ridi soldiers at the northern and southern borders. I would rather have you try than not at all. It would be a waste of your talents otherwise.’

‘The Ridi prince is not his mother,’ Ashoka jumped in, fully vexed. He’d heard of the conflict-averse regent succeeding the ill queen. ‘He will not approve your request.’

Sau nodded in agreement. ‘And what if I cannot convince him?’ she asked Aarya.

‘Then you are useless to Arush,’ Aarya said with a straight face. ‘The Ran Empire’s political advisors never fail, and if you do, you will be relieved of this position immediately. Not even Ashoka can save you.’

If possible, Sau’s face paled even further.

‘Did you not hear me, Aarya?’ Ashoka said loudly. ‘You’re giving Sau a task that’s doomed to fail.’

‘And I will tell you again: it doesn’t concern me,’ Aarya said. ‘We need the Ridi soldiers at our borders, and the only way to do that is to convince Prince Ryu to keep to that old agreement. Saudamini seems the most obvious choice. She isn’t as set in her ways as the older advisors, which would have made negotiations with the prince difficult. We plan to continue the annexation of the south. Arush and I agree that our end goal is complete control of the continent, including Kalinga. We are keeping father’s legacy alive.’

‘You could never take Kalinga,’ Ashoka said, thinking of the isolated island kingdom. The third biggest landmass in the known world, its naval fleet was the largest among the dominant monarchies. Its army rivalled theirs, such that a battle would only end in a pyrrhic victory. ‘We do not have the resources to take control of it.’

‘Soldiers and weapons are our resources,’ Aarya shrugged, ‘and what better access to material than the south?’

Every trek into the heavily forested south and its small states carried the risk of angering the Great Spirits of the wild forests. Collecting resources was doable in moderation, but his siblings would remove more, relying on old maps of the continent that detailed approximate locations of the ancient creatures.

‘You cannot remove too many natural resources without creating problems for yourself,’ he told her. ‘There is power in keeping an empire contained and strong.’

Aarya snapped suddenly, losing her patience. ‘Don’t argue with me any further, Ashoka. You can choose to take this up with Arush if you wish.’

Ashoka could hardly believe that his brutish older brother was solely responsible for sending Sau to Makon. This reeked of Aarya’s puppetry.

Ashoka drew himself up to his full height. ‘You’re right,’ he said. ‘I will go and speak with the real ruler and not the lackey who acts to relay his messages.’

He knew he had stung her effectively when Aarya – who was brilliant at keeping a composed countenance – flinched. Lips curled back into a tiger’s snarl, she scoffed, turned her back to them, and stalked out of his study.

‘Oh no,’ Sau said as she scrambled up hastily. ‘I need to ask her – Princess Aarya! A moment of your time, please –’ Ashoka watched as she hurried out the door, nervousness evident on her flushed face.

The silence that blanketed the room after Aarya’s departure was stifling.

‘This wasn’t Arush’s idea,’ Ashoka growled. He closed his eyes, trying to calm himself down, and felt the pressure of Rahil’s hand on his shoulder.

‘It’s an unexpected change,’ Rahil confirmed, ‘but it’s nothing that can’t be handled. I’m sure another advisor can come with you.’

Ashoka shook his head. ‘I can’t trust them,’ he said. ‘They’ll report everything to Arush. They’ll tell him that I’m failing, and that I can’t govern a region to save my life.’

He cared too much about how he would appear to his siblings and the remainder of the court. More than anything, he needed to look capable. How else could he argue his way into the war council? There was a price to pay when he wanted to be respected by others, and it was his old friend, anxiety.

Shakti had not yet moved. For all he knew, she could have gone into a catatonic state. He felt nothing but pity for the mayakari. It pained him to know that he was unable to help.

‘Lie low,’ he told her. ‘Do what is required, but nothing more. And never let yourself be lulled into complacency during conversation with Aarya.’

She didn’t seem to be listening to him. ‘This wasn’t...’ she began before her words petered off. ‘I suppose I can’t leave with you in secret, Prince Ashoka?’

‘You could,’ he replied, ‘but then both of us will be reprimanded. For you, the consequences will be worse. Are you willing to take such a risk?’

He couldn’t imagine that Shakti would. Neither did he want her to. People would only wonder why a newly admitted member of the palace staff was so insistent on staying by his side.

To his relief, she shook her head. ‘I don’t want to die just yet,’ she said. With a heavy sigh, she craned her head to the roof as if in begrudging acceptance of her situation. ‘Seek out a mayakari named Nayani in Taksila. I’m sure she can convince the resistance to help you in some sense.’

Nayani . He stored the name away.

‘I’m sorry,’ he told her.

Shakti offered him a bemused smile. ‘I doubt your father would ever apologize,’ she replied, ‘but thankfully, you are not him.’

Bewildered by her sudden mention of his father, Ashoka could only say, ‘I try not to be.’

‘Good,’ she replied. ‘If you’ll excuse me, Prince Ashoka.’ With a bow, she turned on her heel and left. Moments later, Sau re-entered, her eyes wide and glassy.

‘I don’t have a choice,’ she said stoically. ‘I must depart for Makon tomorrow. The chances of succeeding... even I would bet against myself. Ten gold pieces would do, I think. I cannot help you, Ashoka – I’m sorry.’

In his sympathy, Ashoka had an idea.

‘You won’t go alone,’ he said firmly. ‘Rahil will travel with you to Makon.’

Sau gaped. ‘What?’

‘ What? ’ Rahil thundered. His grip on Ashoka’s shoulder turned to iron. ‘As much as I would like to help Sau, who will protect you?’

Ashoka raised an eyebrow. ‘My guards are perfectly capable of protecting me from any threat,’ he said, ‘and, I hope you haven’t forgotten, I can defend myself quite well.’

‘Prince Ashoka.’ Sau shook her head so vehemently that he was sure it would fall off. ‘I cannot ask this of you.’

‘Good, because you didn’t,’ Ashoka said bluntly. ‘I will have Rahil escort you to Makon, whereafter he will depart for Taksila. You should at least have someone you know with you, Sau.’ This last part he reminded her in a gentle tone. She had very few friends, and those who were, were mostly maidservants under the orders of Aarya and his mother. They would not be departing for the Ridi Kingdom, and she would be all alone.

Rahil frowned. A muscle clenched above his glass-sharp jaw. ‘Ashoka.’

‘Rahil.’

‘ Ashoka .’

‘Look at it this way,’ Ashoka told him, suppressing a shudder at the deepness of Rahil’s voice. ‘You get to travel beyond the empire like your mother did.’

Rahil shot him a look of utter incredulity. ‘I can’t leave you,’ he sputtered. ‘I cannot .’

Not even Rahil’s bottled-up dreams to travel the known world would sway his sense of duty, it seemed.

Ashoka stepped closer. ‘You once told me that you were afraid that your position would prevent you from leaving the Golden City,’ he whispered. ‘Why are you reneging now?’

‘I—’ Brows scrunching, Rahil tilted his head back. Paused, as if searching for an elusive answer. ‘I cannot abandon you like that.’

‘You won’t be. I can ask Sachith to take over your position in your absence,’ Ashoka reminded him before letting out a snort. Rahil’s second-in-command was just as capable. ‘Besides, do you think me so incapable that I cannot fend for myself?’

‘I don’t, but—’

Ashoka pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers. ‘Don’t argue with me, please, Rahil,’ he interrupted. Having to ask him to leave was hard enough. Of course, he had the option of throwing this idea away into the breeze, but it was better for Sau to travel with someone she knew. ‘Visit Makon. Wander around the capital and bring me back something. I hear bartering is not allowed, so there is no chance of you inadvertently paying more for anything cheap.’

‘And we can try their pickled plum juice,’ Sau interjected, clearly trying to dispel Rahil’s unwillingness as she clung to his arm like a dejected child. ‘Besides, I did not think I was such a terrible travelling companion.’

Under their coordinated attack, Rahil softened. ‘You’re not terrible,’ he told Sau gruffly. ‘I’m wary, is all.’

His sentiments were shared. Ashoka could not recall the last time he’d been without Rahil for longer than a day. Still, this was a good opportunity to find footing on his own and not be so dependent on him.

Suddenly, an idea struck him, bright like lightning against the pitch-black of the night. Aarya may have thought that she had thrown a wrench in his plans, but she had inadvertently given him a golden opportunity. ‘Sau, I want you to do me a favour,’ he said.

Her response was quick. ‘Anything within reason, I can do.’

Ashoka smiled. His request risked punishment, so it was a good thing that Aarya was not around to hear it. ‘Arush wants the Ridi soldiers stationed in our border extremities, but I want you to convince the crown prince to have some of his forces relocated to Taksila instead,’ he said.

As expected, Sau’s eyes went as wide as a night owl’s at his request.

‘Did I mishear you, Ashoka?’ she asked. By her side, Rahil assessed him like he was some sort of broken doll.

He shook his head. ‘You did not,’ he affirmed. ‘Sau, if we can get foreign soldiers who have no bias to the emperor into Taksila, I can use their numbers to enact my own changes without challenge. Father’s soldiers will be of no help to me.’

‘You’re not the emperor, Ashoka,’ Rahil pointed out, ever the pessimist. ‘What makes you think this can work?’

‘Because the mayakari in the Ridi Kingdom are safer than the ones here,’ Ashoka argued. As far as he knew, the Ridi did not persecute mayakari the way his father had done. Perhaps its crown prince could be swayed with empathy. ‘This way, I can enlist the mayakari for help, and have Ridi soldiers to protect them from our own. They won’t report me to Arush – they only answer to their monarch, not ours.’

Sau shook her head. ‘I understand, but you are asking me to create a new deal without express permission from Arush,’ she said.

‘I know,’ he replied. ‘It is a gamble; one that you will have to attempt in secret if you are to succeed. I would hazard a guess that the prince would prefer sending a small contingent of soldiers to Taksila than have them all freeze to death in the north.’

Sau palmed her face, wearied, but her eyes had brightened when he mentioned ‘gamble’. ‘I’ll try to convince him,’ she said, her tone cautious. ‘At least now I have something that I will be willing to argue for.’

Ashoka stood up. ‘Good,’ he said. One problem was more or less fixed, and now he needed to talk to someone else. ‘I will take my leave.’

‘Where are you going?’ Rahil asked curiously.

‘To find Arush,’ he replied.

In the throne room, Ashoka found Arush in conversation with their mother.

It still jarred him to see his older brother sitting on the Obsidian Throne. Arush was bigger than their father, rippling with corded muscle from years of fighting. He filled up the throne by size alone, but he did not command the room. Not like their father had. Perhaps with time, Arush would come to do the same.

Arush’s eyes snapped upwards to meet Ashoka’s. ‘Brother,’ he called out to him. ‘I assume Aarya has relayed the news?’

‘You relocated two of my staff. Why?’ Ashoka asked. If Arush was truly behind this, he would have an immediate answer, but his brother hesitated. He paused long enough for Ashoka to know that he was scrambling for a coherent answer, for him to realize that this idea was not entirely his own.

‘Never mind that,’ Ashoka cut Arush off before he could answer. ‘I can’t go against an order from the emperor, so I will do as you wish. But I request that you do not provide me with a political advisor during my time in Taksila.’

Arush looked surprised. ‘You truly want to go without one?’ he asked. It was an unusual request, and a stupid one.

His mother, too, seemed astonished. ‘My dear,’ she began, ‘an advisor is of paramount importance. I do suggest you rethink your request.’

‘No,’ said Ashoka. ‘I can manage without, or eventually seek one out on my own. I will correct Taksila under my own principles, not anyone else’s.’

Arush rested a hand on his chin, watching Ashoka without batting an eyelid. ‘And I would call that political suicide, brother,’ he sounded half-amused and half-vexed, ‘but do what you must. Just don’t come crying back to me when this show of bravado fails.’

Not if , but when . No matter, he would prove him wrong.

‘I won’t,’ Ashoka promised loudly, ‘and when I return, Arush, you had best keep your promise.’